eDrumSessions is a full online recording studio offering a wide range of services.

These services include drum tracks, grand piano tracks, vocal tracks, guitar, keys, strings, horns, pedal steel, lap steel, mixing, mastering, everything you could need.

In the below video, session drummer Shay Godwin (founder of eDrumSessions) records drum tracks for a Universal library called “Killer Tracks.”

Since this client is in Los Angeles, he came to our recording studio to produce this session. However, even if you are on the other side of the planet you can produce sessions in real time at eDrumSessions. Through the use of NiceCast, our clients can listen in on the recording session live from anywhere in the world (no extra fee for this sevice) and communicate via Skype, iChat, or phone. This is like being in the control room with engineer Thai Long Ly; you can produce the recording session in real time. We encourage this as it keeps the communication high and ensures total satisfaction. Most online recording studios do not offer this option, usually going for a “keep the client at arm’s length” approach.

For clients who do not wish to or cannot schedule a remote recording session, we usually do three takes of a song to give the composer some options. Of course if a chart is sent that is adhered to. This online recording studio is full of professionals of all flavors, and we have musicians that can read fly paper.

The eDrumSessions recording studio is outfitted with top notch gear all around. Vintage Neve 8232 console, modern outboard pres such as the brilliant Geoff Daking models, the most amazing mic locker you could imagine. The tracking room is a masterpiece, designed by the masterful Vincent Van Haaf. Haaf designed the tracking rooms at the legendary Conway Studios.

This place has a vintage Neve 8232 console, and super high-end outboard gear. You won’t find another online recording studio with this kind of gear.

The microphone locker is a dream. We’re talking multiple vintage FETs and tube mics! RCA 77s, Neumann U87s, not to mention a whole bunch of Royers, Coles, Gefells, on and on. There simply are no other online recording studios that have these kind of mics available for use.

The perfectly tuned rooms were designed by a top studio designer whose name cannot be mentioned here to prevent anyone from figuring which studio eDrumSessions is now using.

Why is the name of the new eDrumSessions online recording studio facility confidential?

Because the owner understandably doesn’t want these low prices associated with his recording studio!

People pay *top dollar* at this studio. You are fortunate enough to have found online access to this studio at a fraction of the price you would pay to be there.

Combine all this with access to L.A.’s finest studio musicians, any instrument you need whatsoever, and you have a winning combination. Let eDrumSessions.com take care of all of your online recording studio needs.

The ad, for GoCompare (UK auto insurance company), is comedic in nature and references the movie “One Million Years B.C.” The feel of the music is shuffle, ironically sounding more like an American shuffle than a Brit-pop shuffle.

Online recording studio eDrumSessions.com is increasingly called upon for studio services by overseas production houses writing commercial music.

Session drummer Godwin recorded the drum tracks online for client Yellow Boat Music, a U.K. commercial production house. These sessions are done remotely, with producer Paul Cartledge communicating in real time via Skype, and listening in on the drum tracks recording session live via NiceCast.

Most commercial recording sessions involve two to three versions of the same song. This is done for different edits of the commercial. Only two edits were done for this session.

This commercial features opera star Gio Compario.

It is becoming common in these modern times for musical collaborations to take place between different nations because of the internet. Online recording studios are becoming an industry mainstay, due to cost-effectiveness of international collaboration that was once extremely expensive due to travel costs.

Here is a press release about the commercial, in which both session drummer Godwin and Yellow Boat Music are mentioned.

It is an honor to be acknowledged by member of the legendary “Wrecking Crew” of studio musicians that included studio drumming greats Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer.  Kaye has played on countless recordings including hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Zappa, Ray Charles, and the list goes on.  You have also heard her hundreds of movie and television soundtracks.

I think it is time someone made a movie about the Wrecking Crew.  It could be done in a similar vein to “Standing In The Shadows Of Motown”.  These brilliant studio musicians deserve credit for all the music they made, and for being an integral part of American culture.  Their anonymity is no longer historically appropriate.  If a documentary does get made, it will be bittersweet as Earl Palmer has passed.  Sometime I will write about how nice and supportive Earl Palmer was to me when I first moved to Los Angeles.

http://mixguides.com/microphones/reviews/audio_royer_labs_april/

Why do I say for the most part?  Well I hate to knit-pick, but check out this statement: “Using two Royers as drum overheads provided a warmer sound than I am used to but worked fine for the softer ballad I was recording. However, for that popular overbright sound du jour drum overhead sound, I would probably go with my Milabs.”

Mr. Rudolph is right, the Royers do get a very warm sound.  But they will do the trick if you are going for a bright sound as well.  Again, the Royer M121 beautifully captures the full spectrum of sound, so believe that they are capturing the highs of the cymbals.  They just won’t sound nasally like some condensers!  The only problem with the Royer m121 as far as eDrumSessions is concerned is choosing whether they will be overheads or room mics. 

In terms of recording, they translate very well.  I have a 16″ crash that is like a fast burst of heat.  They feel so good they inspire my playing as well.  Any clients may request that I use these.  The other one from this line that I have is a 20″ ride.   My other Soultone cymbals sound great as well, of course.  Enjoy!

http://www.drummagazine.com/gear/post/soultone-cymbals-go-old-school-for-2010/

“Encino, CA–based cymbal maker Soultone has just announced the addition of Old School™ Edition cymbals to its Vintage Series line of cymbals.

Developed in cooperation with Soultone’ roster of top drummers, percussionists and their own Turkish master craftsman, this new line is based on the classic cymbals of the 1950’s and 60’s. They offer a richer, darker signature sound, and a new EarthStroke™ natural finish with deeper lathing to provide a sweeter open tone for nearly any style of music.

In addition, the company worked with Jimmy Ford, Owner of Ford Drum Company, to help identify and recognize some specific tonal properties and timbre for this special addition to an already successful series.

Soultone Cymbals developed their own multi-stage treatment bath to produce the unique finish and for the Old School Edition as well.”

For years professional recordings were made only by those who had a large budget. Artists signed to major labels and those with investors were predominately the privileged ones who got record professionally.

The difference in sound between recordings made in a professional studio and demos made otherwise was always as chasmic as it is now.

However, with the advent of online recording studios has come a real “power to the people” type of situation. Now artists that don’t have huge budgets can get the professional studio recordings they need to make their music really stand out. This goes especially for drum tracks, as recording drums is the most complicated procedure requiring the most expertise.

Now artists don’t have to rent a room to record in, nor do most of the other work that used to be involved in obtaining pro drum tracks. One can now simply pay on online recording studio to track drums or other instruments, with no logistical fuss and huge budgetary requirements. Welcome to the revolution.

Traditionally, you have to pay for studio time by the hour. Even if you are well prepared with arrangements, time can fly by quickly in the studio and end up costing you plenty. And in terms of drum tracks, if the studio does not have a kit permanently set up you will be paying for studio time during the drum setup, while getting levels, of course while recording the drum tracks, and while tearing down.

All of this is enough to deter many from getting the tracks they need for their music. Some may play their own keyboard tracks or guitar tracks when they really need professionals to play them at the level needed. Some may end up programming backing drum tracks with drum sample software, ending up with uninspired, “canned” sounding drum tracks.

There is a solution to the high costs of getting pro tracks whether you need guitar tracks, bass tracks, keyboard tracks, drum tracks, mixing, or any other service.
That solution is the use of an online recording studio. This refers to a recording studio that offers its services online. In almost all cases, these services are offered at a significantly discounted rate compared to normal rates.

Of course once prices get below a certain point you may be dealing with a less-than-professional organization, but that is for you to research a and determine for yourself. Generally, there are some excellent online recording studios that offer great services at very low prices.

For example, many of these online studios offer custom drum tracks for prices ranging from $100 to $300 per drum track. Even the $300 per drum track price could save you money, because you are paying for the drum tracks but NOT the studio time. That means not paying for the setup and teardown time, no paying for cartage (transport of instruments), and you don’t have to watch the clock. No worrying about how much time the drum tracks take to get together because it is a flat fee! This of course applies to guitar tracks, bass tracks, or any other instrument.

These online recording studios are also very convenient in that the logistics are easy.

You don’t have to go anywhere, except to your computer, and you also are not responsible for getting studio musicians to the online recording studio. This saves you more money, because often session musicians charge for transportation costs, including gas expense, possible plane tickets, and a per diem.

Because of the traditionally high costs of getting professionally recorded tracks, only high-budget projects could afford pro recording studio services in the past. Everyone else had to use their own home recording devices (from old four tracks to ADAT machines to Pro Tools). Now those with a fairly modest budget can afford to get drum track and other professional studio services. This great for music and for the ability of more and more people to develop their musical ideas in to something that really sounds the way they envision it, or sometimes way better!

It is also worth noting that many of these online recording studios offer mixing and mastering services as well. To be very blunt, too many talented people ruin their music by trying to mix it themselves. It takes a trained ear to get a great mix within a remotely reasonable time frame, and a professional mixing job can make an
incredible difference in your music.

So do yourself a favor and research the various online recording studios that are out there. You will end up with the pro sound you need and you might not even have to take off your PJs!

Click the image below for a larger view:

It is a wise pusuit indeed to look in to online drum recording because there are advantages. Or, more accurately, one huge advantage: you can save HUGE amounts of money getting online drum tracks over tradional methods of getting drum tracks.

Online drum recording=more bang for your buck.

Your savings with online drum recording are firstly based on not having to pay a whole bunch of people. To get professional, custom drum tracks you normally would have to pay 1)someone for rental of the studio space/recording equipment, 2)sound engineers, 3)cartage (transportation of the studio drummer’s equipment to and from studio), and of course, 4) the studio drummer.

And of course under traditional methods of getting drum tracks, when paying for rental of the studio you don’t pay a flat fee, you pay by the hour (not the case with online drum recording, in which case you don’t pay for studio rental at all).

That means you are paying while the studio drummer’s gear is set up, and while the mics are set up/patched in. You are paying while the engineer and the studio drummer are dialing in the sounds. You are paying while breaks that are taken during tracking of the drums, and after tracking you are paying while the studio drummer’s gear is taken down. Because unlike online drum recording, you have to pay for every minute of studio usage.

This can add up to some costs that are simply not within most budgets. Often an eight-song album can cost, just for drum tracks, upwards of $5000! Sometimes it can cost double that or more.

Online drum recording is much more affordable.

With online drum recording, you only have to pay one person for your drum tracks, the online session drummer. In most cases the online drum recording websites have a flat, per-track fee.
That means no worries about having to pay by the hour, nervously watching the dollars fly out of your pocket as the minutes tick by.

You also could save a lot of money in transportation costs. With online drum recording you save gas money not having to drive to and from the studio. Considering that many times studio drummers have to be flown to locales for recording, there are possible huge savings there as well. When taking advantage of online drum recording you can choose a studio drummer you dig without worry of location.

You have choices regarding online drum recording. There are numerous sites for getting online drum tracks from an online studio drummer, but you must choose wisely. You need great playing, amazing sound quality, and a high level of communication.

Look for more of my articles on the subject of online drum recording for guidance in finding the right online studio drummer for your project.